By Jamie Samuelsen

Detroit Free Press Special Writer

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Jamie Samuelsen, co-host of the “Jamie and Wojo” show at 6 p.m. weekdays on WXYT-FM (97.1), blogs for freep.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. You can reach him at jamsam22@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter @jamiesamuelsen and read more of his opinions at freep.com/jamie.

Michigan State finds itself atop the Big Ten standings, but there really isn’t a star on the team. Who would you say is the star/most important player?

There was a time in the not too distant past (December to be specific), when some questioned whether Tom Izzo still had it. Jabari Parker picked Duke over Michigan State. Michigan was, and still is, ranked among the best teams in the nation. And some felt that MSU was on the decline.

Well, it’s certainly way too soon to start printing T-shirts and making travel plans deep into March, but the Spartans look pretty good. And Izzo is doing a pretty good job. Thanks to a six-game winning streak and the fact that they’ve played two more conference games than second-place Michigan and Indiana, MSU is all alone in first place in the conference.

Debate all you want whether the Spartans have the goods to be there at the end of the season. But don’t debate this. They’ve put together the most impressive conference slate so far highlighted by wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin. And they’ve become the team that every other team in the Big Ten is starting to worry about.

Before the season started, the conference was supposed to be all about Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State. MSU has officially stated its case that there’s a fourth team in the mix as well.

Don’t you get the sense that Izzo loves the way his team is battling right now? The past two wins (59-56 over Ohio St. and 49-47 over Wisconsin) will have the rest of the nation convulsing over how ugly Big Ten basketball can be. But Izzo has always loved teams that can grind it out and make huge stops at the end of games the way they did the last two times out. And Izzo has always loved teams where the best player isn’t always the most important player.

If that doesn’t make sense, think about the best team Izzo ever coached - the 2000 national championship team. Mateen Cleaves was the heartbeat and the MVP. Take Cleaves off the team, and they don’t win the Big Ten nor cut down the nets in Indianapolis. Fine. We can all agree on that.

But couldn’t you argue the same thing about Morris Peterson, who was the Spartans' leading scorer, best shooter and go-to guy in the clutch? I’ve argued for years that Peterson was actually the MVP of that team. Some of you agree. Some of you call me bad names.

Outside of those two, Andre Hutson may go down as the most under-appreciated player in MSU history. He started in three Final Fours. He was the best interior scorer and grabbed a team best 6.2 rebounds a game. MSU would have had a hard time winning without Hutson. And they would have had a hard time winning without the underrated Charlie Bell who scored, played great defense and was the best rebounding guard I’ve seen in years.

If you think I’m trying to compare this year’s team with the national championship team, I’m not. But I am. I don’t think this team has enough to win the title. Cleaves and Peterson were both first-round NBA picks. Bell played in the NBA. And there was a freshman role player named Jason Richardson who also was heard from on occasion. The talent level on this roster cannot match the talent level on that roster.

But like that team, this team relies on a lot of parts to win. Keith Appling would appear to be the most valuable player. He’s the leading scorer (14.1 PPG) and the leading playmaker (4.3 assists per game). His shooting remains a huge question mark (just a 32 percent three-point shooter).

Brandon Dawson seems like an extension of Izzo on the floor. He plays with extreme emotion and attacks the glass with ferocity (6.6 rebounds per game). Dawson had double-digit rebounding games in the last two wins. When you win two games by a combined five points, you need every rebound that you can get, and Dawson got his share.

Gary Harris has been an invaluable source for scoring, averaging 12.3 points a game. He’s taken and made more threes than any other player on the roster. And going along with the “Izzo type of player” mentality, he’s played through shoulder issues throughout the season.

Add to those three players the mix of Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix and you have two more pretty valuable guys. MSU doesn’t beat Texas without Nix (25 points, 11 rebounds) and they don’t beat Penn State without Payne (20 points, all in the second half).

So who is the “man” on this team? Dawson is a compelling choice given his athleticism and given the fact that MSU went out so meekly in the NCAAs against Louisville without him. But the Spartans also rallied to win the Big Ten Tournament after Dawson suffered his knee injury in the Ohio State game, showing once again the overall depth of this team.

My pick is Appling. If he went down, I think MSU would struggle to replace all he does on the court. But you could say that about at least three or four guys on this roster.

Some coaches would love to have one guy to turn to at the most important point in the game. Some coaches would love choices. And most coaches would love to have four guys who all want to be the guy at the key point in the game. That’s what Izzo has right now. It’s served him well to this point. And it follows a similar formula that has brought State its greatest success over the last 15 years.

Can this team reach those same heights? Anyone who’s ever watched Izzo coach in the spring knows that it would be foolish to bet against MSU.